Trolley



W. RENNIE.

TROLLEY.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 22, 1919.

1,364,208. Patented Jan; 4, 1921,

WITNESSES. j/win'rb JITOEWEK WILLIAIII RENNIE, 0F SHADYSIDE, OHIO.

TEOLLEY.

Specification of Letters Eatent.

Patented Jan. 4:, 1921.

Application filed April 22, 1919. Serial No. 291.827.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM Rennie, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, and resident of Shadyside, county of Belmont, and State ofOhio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Trolleys, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention relates broadly to trolleys, and more particularly to aharp and retriever for trolleys.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a trolley harp havingassociated therewith positive means whereby the trolley wheel isprevented from leaving the trolley wire.

A. further object is to provide, in association with a trolley wheel andharp, guard members which, when the wheel is disposed in operativerelation to the trolley wire, occupy depressed positiolns in which theyare maintained out of engagement with overhead obstructions, such as theusual wire supports, frogs and guy lines, and which, when the wheeltends to leave the wire, relieving the yielding pressure applied throughthe wheel to the under side of the wire, instantly move to substantiallyupright positions at opposite sides of the wire for preventing completedissociation of the trolley with respect to said wire.

With these and other objects in view, the invention resides in thefeatures of construction, arrangement of parts and combinations ofelements which will hereinafter be fully described, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation ofthe invention, showing the parts in the positions occupied when thetrolley wheel is seated against the trolley wire;

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the guards in operative position;

Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the invention with the parts disposed inthe positions shown in Fig. 2; and

Fig. l is an enlarged longitudinal section of the invention with theparts disposed as shown in Fig. 1.

Referring to said drawings, in which like designating charactersdistinguish like parts throughout the several views 1 indicatesgenerally a trolley harp, preferably formed in one piece, comprisingparallel side members 1 which are suitably connected, as by means ofupper and lower transverse members 2 and 3. Said harp is ofapproximately rectangular box-like formatlcn in cross-section and hasreceived in the lower part thereof between said side members l the upperend of an arm 4 which is suitably carried by the usual trolley pole Saidarm l, which is preferably rectangular in cross section, has pivotalconnect1otn through a pivot-pin 6 with said harp at a point adjacent tothe lower end of the latter.

Journaled on the upper ends of the memhere 1 of the harp is the trolleywheel 7, and pivotally mounted on the axle 8 between each of theopposite sides of said wheel and the adjacent member 1 is a guard member9 of approximately triangular or wing shape, as shown. A shortdownwardly and rearwardly inclined lever arm 10 carried by the lower endof each guard member 9 has its outer end pivotally connected to one endof a link 11 which is pivotally connected at its opposite end to theupper end of the arm 4.

Connected to said arm & adjacent to the upper end thereof is the upperend of a retractile coil spring 12 which has its lower elnd attached toan adjustable bolt 13, or equivalent device, mounted in a suitablylocated transverse wall 1% of the harp 1. Said spring 12 tends to holdthe harp swung on the pivot-pin 6 in a position wherein it is upwardlyinclined with respect to the arm l and pole 5, as shown in Figs. 2 ahd3. In such relative positions of the harp 1 and arm 4:, the guardmembers 9 are held in upwardly swung positions on opposite sides of thetrolley wire 15 for preventing the trolley wheel from leaving such wire.

The wheel 7 is normally held by the pole 5 in engagement with thetrolley wire 15 under such applied force that the harp 1 is swungdownward on itsvpivotal mounting 6 against the tension of the spring 12,substantially as shown in Figs. 1 and i. In such relative positions ofthe harp and arm at, the guard members 9 are actuated through theintermediate link 11 and lever arm 10 to the reclining position shown insaid Figs. 1 and 1 in which they project little, if any, above the planeof the upper edge of the wheel 7. Obviously, however, as the pressure ofthe wheel against the wire decreases, as when the wheel tends throughany cause whatsoever to leave, or to become disengaged from, the wire,the tension of the spring 12 acts to instantly elevate the outer end ofthe harp and, consequently, to swing the-guard members to their uprightguard ing positions for retaining the wheel in normal relation to thewire.

The wall 14 in which is mounted the adjustable bolt 13 is located atsuch a distance below the lowermost swung position which the arm 4 mayoccupy in the harp 1 that the spring 12 may be fully accommodated in theintervening space, said wall constituting in efiect the bottom of aspring-receiving pocket. 7

What I claim is- 1. In a trolley, the combination with a trolley pole,of a harp pivotally connected to said pole, resilient means normallyholding said harp in an elevated approximately upright position out ofalinement with said pole, a trolley wheel carried by said harp, guardspivotally mounted at opposite sides of said wheel, each guard having afixed downwardly and rearwardly inclined arm at its lower end, and meansincluding links arranged intermediate said arms and said pole wherebysaid guards are actuated to move to upstanding operative positions asthe harp moves to elevated position, and vice versa, the normal pressureunder which said wheel is held to the trolley wire serving to maintainsaid harp and said guards depressed against the tension of saidresilient means.

2. In a trolley, the combination with a trolley pole, of a memberrigidly carried in alinement with the pole at the upper end of thelatter, a harp of box-like form within which said member is received,said harp having pivotal connection at its lower end with the lower endof said member and being capable of swinging movement downward into andupward out of approximate alinement with said pole, a trolley wheelcarried by the upper end of said harp, guards mounted at opposite sidesof said wheel, each guard having an arm, a link pivotally connectingsaid arm to the free end of said member, and a spring interposed betweenthe under side of said member and the under portion of the box-like harpand tending to maintain said harp in its elevated 50 position and alsotending through the links to hold said guards elevated in operativepositions, the tension of said spring being normally overcome by thepressureexerting force applied by the pole to the trolley wire 55through said harp and said trolley wheel.

In testimony whereof, I aflix my signature.

WM. REN N IE.

